Pinnacle

First Appearance and Context

Observed during an Apert‑day ascent to the roof of the Praesidium, the Pinnacle is identified as the tallest, central structure of the Starhenge, its summit being the highest point of the Mynster. From its roof, a large quartz prism and a small all‑sky device (Clesthyra's Eye) are described. Later accounts note an avout ascending the stair to insert a photomnemonic tablet through a slot beneath the Eye, enabling long‑duration recording.

Roles/Actions and Affiliations

• Noon synchronization: A quartz prism mounted on the Pinnacle channels sunlight down into the tower to correct the clock at local noon when skies are clear.
• All‑sky monitoring: Clesthyra’s Eye, a fixed fisheye instrument under the Pinnacle’s cap, records the entire sky to a photomnemonic tablet inserted via a machined slot; fixed stars appear as circular streaks, while fast‑moving objects trace straight paths. At the settings described, a tablet can run for months before it fills.
• Integrated rooftop works: As part of the starhenge, the Pinnacle and its instruments are mechanically coupled to the timekeeping systems rooted in the Praesidium and support the observational and calendrical functions of the Mynster.

Relationships

• Setting: Stands at the center of the starhenge, near twin domes for the large telescope, several smaller domes, a windowless laboratory used for photomnemonic tablets, and a heated rooftop chapel used for work and instruction.
• Access: Reached by climbing interior stairs through the Praesidium to the roof, then ascending the Pinnacle’s own rail‑less spiral of cantilevered steps. Winds at the summit can be severe.

Descriptions/Characteristics

• Form: A compact, high rooftop tower wrapped in a double‑helix of cantilevered stone treads with no railing; its flat stone cap mounts fixed instruments rather than a moving telescope.
• Instruments and fittings: A south‑aimed quartz prism admits a noon beam into the tower; a fixed, zenith‑facing fisheye lens (Clesthyra’s Eye) captures the whole sky at once. Beneath the Eye is a precisely sized slot for photomnemonic tablets, protected by a dust cover when not in use.

Current Status/Location

Active and in use as part of the starhenge atop the Praesidium within the Mynster at the Concent of Saunt Edhar. It functions as both the highest accessible point of the Mynster and a mounting for the clock’s noon synchronizer and the all‑sky sensor.